


This Is For Richard

by RichardGraysonPercyJackson



Series: The Acrobat and The Mercenary [19]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mirakuru Slade Wilson, Protective Slade Wilson, but not graphic, more like you already know but it isn't said
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23388355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RichardGraysonPercyJackson/pseuds/RichardGraysonPercyJackson
Summary: Slade confronts Mirage
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson
Series: The Acrobat and The Mercenary [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1323779
Comments: 17
Kudos: 324





	This Is For Richard

“Deathstroke The Terminator calling  _ me _ for a meeting? My my, it must be my lucky day.”

“Something like that,” Slade said calmly, hands clasped behind his back as he turned to find Mirage stepping into the light, a small smile on her face as she approached, foolishly unaware of the danger she had just placed herself in.

“Well what can I do for you, Mr. Terminator?” she asked.

“Deathstroke will do.”

Her smile didn’t falter. “My question still stands, Deathstroke.”

“I was hoping to talk to you about one of Gotham’s many vigilantes.”

“I’m not sure I know many of them,” Mirage replied. “But I’m sure I could muddle my way through. What did you need?”

“Have you ever met any of them?”

“I’m sure I’ve run into one or two.” Mirage frowned. “Why?”

“What about Nightwing? Have you met him?”

Mirage tilted her head to the side. “Mm, no. I don’t think I’ve ever-”

“He was the first Robin.” Slade could barely keep the fury out of his tone.

Recollection dawned in Mirage’s eyes instantly and the smile on her face turned just a hair too friendly for Slade.

“Now it’s coming to me,” she said. “Yes, I suppose I have met him before. When he was still Robin, of course.”

“Of course,” Slade grit out between clenched teeth.

“What about him do you need?” her smile brightened. “He’s a good friend of mine, I’m sure I can-”

“A good friend?” Slade asked.

Mirage frowned, giving a weak laugh. “Yes?”

“Are you certain?”

The shapeshifter narrowed her eyes. “What are you trying to imply, Deathstroke?”

“The way I had heard it,” Slade said, keeping his voice cool and calm. “Was that you somehow gained access to his team’s tower and disguised yourself as his girlfriend before taking advantage of him.”

Mirage laughed. She  _ laughed _ and Slade near beat her face in then and there. But he needed to wait. He needed to make sure she understood just  _ why _ she was getting her face beat in.

She needed to understand that the moment she had touched Dick, she had all but signed her death certificate, nevermind that Slade had wanted Dick dead at the time.

“Why do you care?” she asked, still smiling. “You hate him.”

“I care,” Slade growled, advancing on her and allowing himself a large sense of satisfaction as her smile fell from her face and she slowly backed away. “Because he is  _ mine _ .”

She gave a weak laugh but it wasn’t nearly as amused as it had been before. “You-you can’t claim a hero, Deathstroke,” she told him shakily. “You don’t have a monopoly on him.”

Slade moved before she could act, grabbing her arm and snapping it like a twig, reveling in her agonized scream of pain as she crumpled to the ground, arm pressed to her chest.

“What the hell!?” she screamed.

“I care,” Slade said in a low tone. “Because Nightwing is  _ mine _ .”

He waited and sure enough, understanding clicked in her eyes. “This is rich,” she hissed through teeth clenched in pain. “You  _ care _ about him.”

“More than care, I think,” Slade mused as she scrambled to her feet when he unsheathed his sword. “ _ Love _ is the more accurate term. Then again, you’re not going to leave long enough to tell anyone.”

Her eyes went wide and even though Slade had known it might be a possibility, that she might do this to save her life, it didn’t make it any easier when she shifted her form into Nightwing without his mask, Dick’s wide eyes staring up at Slade.

“Slade,  _ please _ !” Mirage begged in Dick’s voice, holding up one h and to stop him. “Please, don’t hurt me! Please, you don’t want to do this! Don’t do this!”

Though Slade would never admit it to any other, there was no denying that he faltered.

That the sight of Dick - shapeshifter or not - trembling under him and begging him for mercy nearly had him sheathing his sword then and there even though he’d just watched Mirage shift in front of him.

“The games end here, Mirage,” Slade declared. Fighting through his own hesitation, Slade reached out and wrapped his hand around Mirage’s -  _ Dick’s, Dick’s, Dick’s, _ \- neck and snapping it with ease.

There was a moment, too brief to be noticed by the unenhanced eye, where Dick’s image remained after death before Mirage’s body flickered and returned to her own form, limp and lax and  _ dead _ in Slade’s hand.

He dropped her body to the ground, staring at it for a long time before resheathing his sword and making quick work to dispose of the body.

…………………………………..

He hadn’t thought. Hadn’t even made any conscious choice yet he foud his feet taking him to Dick’s apartment, sliding through the acrobat’s bedroom window.

_ I have to know he;s alive. _

Seeing Dick’s bed empty had Slade’s heart stopping for a long, terrifying moment until he heard a soft, sleepy-

“Slade?”

He pulled off his mask with one hand, moving over to cup the back of Dick’s neck - the boy standing in the doorway of his bathroom, blinking p at the mercenary - and pressing his lips to Dick’s.

Dick hummed quietly, tubbing his eyes when Slade broke apart. “What are you doing here?” he asked, yawning and allowing Slade to guide him to his bed.

“I…”  _ I thought I killed you.  _ “I wanted to see you.”

“Oh.” Dick yawned. “Are you-”

“May I stay the night?”

Dick blinked up at him, taking a few moments to comprehend the question before replying softly, 

“Yeah, of course.”

Slade grunted. “I’m going to change.”

…………………………..

When he returned and got into bed, tucking Dick close to him, the acrobat mumbled,

“I thought you had a contract tonight.”

“I did. It’s finished.”

“Oh. Did it go well?”

“Yes.”

Dick squirmed in Slade’s hold until the mercenary looked down. “Did something happen? You’re acting...off.”

“Nothing you need to worry about, little bird,” Slade promised, pressing a kiss to Dick’s forehead. “It just got a little personal, in the end.”

“Oh. Okay. Do you...want to talk about it?”

“Not tonight,” Slade replied.  _ Not ever _ . “But...some other time, maybe.”

“Okay,” Dick curled close again. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

If Slade stayed awake listening to Dick’s breathing and heartbeat for the next three hours, no one ever had to know. And if Slade woke up at his usual time and stayed in bed to listen to the sounds of Dick  _ living _ , then there was no harm done.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts!


End file.
